Baggage transportation security system and method

ABSTRACT

In a communications network, such as the Internet, the invention comprises a method for arranging for the transportation of baggage for airline passengers, that comprises the steps of checking in bags with a ground delivery operator, obtaining passenger identification information, confirming the identity of the passenger, collecting passenger airline flight information, collecting the baggage from the origin location by the ground delivery operator, marking the baggage with an identifier, transmitting baggage information via a communications network and associating the baggage information with the airline flight information, securely transporting the baggage from the origin location to the origin airport, monitoring the location of the baggage during the transporting step, and providing location information of the baggage via the communications network.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation of pending U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 11/081,053, filed Mar. 14, 2005, which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/968,782, filed onOct. 19, 2004, which is a division of U.S. patent application Ser. No.10/301,453, filed on Nov. 21, 2002, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,807,458, whichis a continuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No.09/665,938, filed Sep. 20, 2000, now U.S. Pat. No. 6,512,964, all ofwhich are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for theirteachings and embodiments. The present application claims priority toU.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/081,053 filed Mar. 14, 2005.

The present invention relates to a Baggage transportation securitysystem and method.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Transporting baggage to and from the home or office to the airport isfrequently one of the most cumbersome aspects of airline travel forbusiness and pleasure travelers alike. Moreover, airline passengerscarrying more than one small piece of luggage to the airport are oftenforced to wait in long lines to manually check their luggage withairline personnel. Typically, at check-in, an airline employee inputsthe passenger's name or ticket number and the number of bags travelingwith the passenger into a computer terminal. Tags are then generated andaffixed to the baggage, which is then placed on a conveyor. Due to thetime constraints associated with airline travel, this delay often forcespassengers to hurry through the airport to board their flights on time,adding to an already stressful travel experience.

The inconvenience associated with checking baggage continues even afterpassengers disembark an aircraft in their destination city. Travelersmust typically wait at baggage carousels for their baggage to appear,while the line outside of the airport for ground transportation steadilygrows. Those unlucky passengers whose bags are unloaded last from theaircraft will unfortunately spend additional time waiting in line forground transportation. In addition, airline delays and/or unavoidablescheduling may often force business travelers to carry their baggagedirectly from the airport to a business meeting because they do not havesufficient time to check in at their hotel.

The prior art includes baggage handling systems that are limited tointra-airport (or intra-terminal) baggage handling. For example, U.S.Pat. No. 5,793,639 to Yamazaki is directed to an intra-airport baggagereceiving and handling method and system, with particular emphasis onthe security aspects of baggage handling. Other prior art shippingservices ship packages (e.g., a set of golf clubs) as freight separatefrom the passenger (i.e., the packages or baggage are not transported aschecked baggage on a commercial airline flight with their passengerowner). Airlines will also typically deliver baggage to the home of apassenger when that baggage was temporarily lost or delayed duringtravel. None of these prior art systems, however, eliminates the needfor travelers to carry their bags to the airport, wait in line to checktheir bags at the counter with airline personnel, with a skycap, or atan airport kiosk, retrieve their bags from an airport carousel, andcarry their bags to a destination location.

While passenger convenience remains an important priority for air travelproviders, the events of Sep. 11, 2001 have also raised public awarenessof security issues surrounding air travel. Making our airways safe hasbecome a priority of both the air travel industry and our federalgovernment. One focus of this wide-ranging security effort has been onbaggage screening and efforts to ensure that checked bags do not containexplosive devices. To this end, Congress has mandated that by Dec. 31,2002, 100% of checked baggage at all United States airports must beelectronically screened for explosives.

Critics of this mandate maintain that it will be impossible to achieve100% baggage screening with currently-existing explosive detectionsystem (EDS) facilities due to high false-positive screening rates andlow throughput capability. They also suggest that the cost forinstalling a sufficient number of EDS machines to satisfy the mandatewould exceed current budget estimates. They therefore recommend thatCongress relax the mandate and push the deadline for 100% baggagescreening to 2004. This would allow time to procure and installadditional EDS machines and to realize improvements in EDS technology.Such a delay in implementing the mandate, however, will obviouslyadversely affect air travel security.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

A system and method for arranging the transportation of baggage forairline passengers from an origin location (e.g., home, office, etc.) toa destination location (e.g., hotel, convention center) and to enablepassengers to monitor and verify the status of their baggagetransportation via a computer or handheld communications device (cellphone, PDA, etc.) is disclosed. The disclosed system and methodsignificantly alleviate the inconvenience associated with airline travelwhile providing enhanced security.

In a preferred embodiment, flight information and baggage informationfrom a user is received via a communications network such as theInternet. This may be accomplished by providing a link from an onlinetravel provider Web site (e.g., an airline) to a baggage delivery Website. In one preferred embodiment, information entered by a user duringthe purchase of an airline ticket is automatically captured by thebaggage delivery Web site. Additional information relating to baggagedelivery may be input directly by a user at the baggage delivery Website.

The baggage to be transported is identified and transported from anorigin airport to a destination airport. The baggage is delivered to theuser specified destination location. The method may further comprisecollecting the baggage from an origin location other than the originairport. Information concerning the location of the baggage may beprovided to a user via the communications network.

In a preferred embodiment, the present system and method also provideimproved air-travel security in a number of ways. For example, thepresent system and method may significantly increase the number ofchecked bags screened for explosive devices without requiring anincrease in the number of EDS machines or improvements in screeningtechnology. In a preferred embodiment, this is accomplished bycollecting bags in advance of flight time and screening them duringoff-peak periods at a secure location outside of an airport's departureterminal. As noted, this significantly increases the number of bags thatmay be examined, and facilitates compliance with the Congressionalmandate of 100% screening of checked bags.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The present invention will be understood and appreciated more fully fromthe following detailed description, taken in conjunction with thedrawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating the transportation of passengerbaggage in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating the transportation of baggageaccording to the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a preferred embodiment of a system of thepresent invention;

FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the steps in a preferred embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a sample web page from an airline web site.

FIG. 5B is another sample web page from an airline web site displayingavailable flights for a selected itinerary;

FIG. 5C is still another sample web page from an airline web sitedisplaying traveler information;

FIG. 5D is another web page from an airline web site with a link toallow users to arrange baggage pick and/or delivery;

FIG. 6A is a sample web page illustrating the input and/or capture offlight information from a passenger;

FIG. 6B is a sample web page illustrating the input of baggage pick-upand/or delivery information;

FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of a web site inaccordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 8 is a sample web page displaying baggage status information to aninquiring user; and

FIG. 9 is a flow diagram illustrating aspects of a preferred embodimentof the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

Reference is now made to FIG. 1, which is a block diagram illustratingthe transportation of passenger baggage in the prior art. As shown, apassenger 102 must typically carry his or her baggage from an originlocation 104 (e.g., home, office, etc.) to an origin airport 106. Onceat airport 106, passenger 102 must usually wait in line to check bags atthe counter with airline personnel, with a skycap, or at an airportkiosk 107 at the appropriate airline terminal. The length of apassenger's wait depends on current airport conditions. For example, ifmany flights have been canceled or delayed due to inclement weather,most passengers will be forced to wait in line to re-book their flightsfor a later time. Passengers arriving at the airport at these times willoften have to wait in line for over an hour simply to check theirbaggage, while those passengers not checking baggage may proceeddirectly to the departure gate without waiting in line. After passengersand their checked baggage are successfully loaded onto a plane 108 andflown to a destination airport 110, passenger 102 must again wait at abaggage carousel 112 at the arrival terminal to claim his or her checkedbaggage. Passenger 102 must then transport his or her baggage via someform of ground transportation to their next location (e.g., office,conference center, etc.), which may or may not be their finaldestination location 114 (e.g., hotel, residence, etc.).

Reference is now made to FIG. 2, which is a block diagram illustratingthe transportation of passenger baggage according to the presentinvention. Baggage 202 is picked up by a Ground Delivery Operator (GDO)from an origin location 204. The origin location may preferably be anylocation specified by the passenger such as the passenger's home, placeof business, or hotel. The baggage may be checked by the GDO at theorigin location 204, or transported and checked on behalf of its ownerat origin airport 206. In a preferred embodiment, the GDOs act as agentson behalf of the airline. In a preferred embodiment, system rules mayestablish that an origin location must be within some specified radius(e.g., 50 miles) of the origin airport and that baggage must be pickedup by a GDO within some specified time window prior to the passenger'sscheduled departure time.

Upon pick-up, the GDO preferably confirms that the passenger possessesproof of ticket purchase and valid photo ID. In a preferred embodiment,the passenger's identity may alternatively or additionally bebiometrically confirmed. The GDO also preferably screens all passengerswith standard security questions and provides the results back to thepassenger's airline or other appropriate security office.

The GDO then tags the baggage with a scanable tag and logs it into atrackable computer database using a portable tag-generating and scanningdevice. The tag-generating and scanning device may be integrated with orcoupled to a laptop or other computing device. The tags are preferablyscanned each time custody of the bag is transferred from one entity(e.g. a GDO) to another (e.g., an airport screening facility) thusfacilitating tracking of baggage location in a database, as describedbelow. Moreover, each bag may be tagged with a radio frequencyidentification (RFID) tag to further facilitate bag tracking.

Typically, a confirmation number or other baggage identifier is providedto the baggage owner when baggage delivery is initially booked (e.g.,via telephone or the baggage delivery Web site 310 in FIG. 3) to allowfor real-time tracking of baggage, as described below. Moreover, baggageclaim tickets (which may include this confirmation number) arepreferably printed and scanned in the passenger's presence to evidencereceipt of the passenger's bags.

Baggage 202 is preferably transported by the GDO to a secure screeningfacility that complies with all state Department of Transportation(DOT), airport, Transportation Security Administration (TSA), andairport carrier security programs. At the facility, the bags arescreened by TSA-approved personnel, securely stored until flight timeapproaches, and then entered into the airport's baggage-sortation systemfor delivery to the appropriate flight.

In one preferred embodiment, the secure screening facility may belocated on airport grounds but away from the airport's passengerterminals. Alternatively, the secure screening facility may be locatedoff-site from the airport altogether. These embodiments reduce thedemands on premium terminal and/or airport space, thus decreasing thecosts associated with baggage screening. They also enhance security byremoving the baggage screening process from the noise and confusionoften found in passenger terminals. Where a separate screening facilityis not practical or desired for economic or other reasons, baggage 202may alternatively be screened using screening facilities located at thepassenger's departure terminal.

Congress has recently adopted a 100% baggage screening mandate toimprove air-travel security. In a preferred embodiment, the presentsystem and method provide a mechanism for increasing the number ofscreened bags and facilitating this mandated goal while increasingbaggage-screening efficiency and decreasing costs. This preferredembodiment is described in connection with FIG. 9.

As shown in FIG. 9, in step 902, baggage is delivered by GDOs to thesecure screening facility. In step 904, received bags are prioritizedand sorted based on the time remaining until their respective flightsare scheduled to depart. If desired, the prioritization and sortingalgorithms may also take into consideration other factors such as bagsize, destination location, or other screening- or security-relatedfactors. In a preferred embodiment, baggage may be separated into threepriority classes: cold, warm, and hot, depending upon the amount of timeremaining until departure time. Bags specified as cold or warm arepreferably held in a secure environment until they are screened.

In step 906, the sorted bags are processed in parallel by as manyexplosive detection system (EDS) machines as are available at thescreening facility. The bags may additionally or alternatively beexamined by one or more other appropriate security machines and/orpersonnel. In step 908, bags that do not pass screening are flagged forfurther security processing (e.g., bomb-squad analysis). Police or otherhomeland-security authorities may also be contacted and/or the bag ownerinformed, if appropriate. For example, there may be ample time tocontact the passenger and arrange for her to be present during aphysical search of the bag well in advance of flight time. Moreover,since the system preferably maintains a record of each person who hashandled the baggage (which may include biometric information), baggagesecurity is enhanced. Otherwise, in step 910, approved bags areinterlined to the appropriate airline for loading on the passenger'sflight. Alternatively, bags cleared by the screening system may be feddirectly into the airport's baggage sortation system. In step 912,screening results are provided to the airline security checkpoint.

The bag scanning method described above provides several benefits.First, as noted, it improves security and decreases costs because it isperformed off-site from the passenger terminal. Second, properprioritization and sorting of bags delivered by GDOs allows continuousbag screening by the facility's EDS machines during both peak andoff-peak travel hours. This reduces the total number of EDS machinesrequired for baggage screening and associated operating costs byincreasing utilization of each machine. Third, because baggage 202 isdelivered to the screening facility in advance of the passenger'sscheduled flight time, the system is better able to cope with any delaysthat may arise in the screening process such as malfunctioning machinesor suspicious baggage.

In a preferred embodiment, the present system and method may comprise adatabase that tracks the location and integrity of each checked piece ofbaggage at all times. To facilitate the accuracy of information in thisdatabase, the present system and method may employ a wireless globalpositioning system (GPS) to track ground and/or air transportationvehicles over terrestrial and satellite networks. Baggage tracking maybe further facilitated by supplementing information in the database withinformation from major airlines' reservation and departure controlsystems. In a preferred embodiment, a common language may be defined tosimplify and standardize data communications between these multiplesystems. In this way, an operational database with system-widesituational awareness and details of baggage 202 may be maintained andmonitored.

In a preferred embodiment, information transmitted from airline computersystems to the baggage tracking database includes any itinerary changesdue to flight changes or cancellations, or changes in an individualpassenger's travel plans. This information is used to update the baggagetracking database to ensure that the baggage is routed and deliveredproperly with minimum delay.

As noted, screened bags are preferably transported to the passenger'sairline for loading on the passenger's flight. Thus, the owner of thebags, passenger 208, need not carry his or her baggage to the airport orwait in line at check-in. Instead, passenger 208 may proceed directly tothe departure gate 211. Baggage 202 is loaded on the plane 210 withpassenger 208 and flown to the destination airport 212. Moreover, uponarrival, passenger 208 is preferably free to leave the airportimmediately and proceed to a business meeting, hotel, or otherappointment/location 214. Passenger 208 need not pick up baggage 202 ata baggage carousel because the baggage is delivered directly to thepassenger's designated destination location 216 (e.g., hotel, residence,etc.).

Reference is now made to FIG. 3 which is a block diagram of a system ofthe present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, users communicating viaconventional computers 302 (e.g., desktop PCs, laptops, etc.), land-linetelephones 304, or wireless communications devices 306 (e.g., cellulartelephone, Palm VII.™, etc.) may access a travel Web site, such asairline Web site 308 via a communications network, such as the Internet309. In a preferred embodiment, while purchasing airline tickets, usersare provided the option of arranging for the pick-up and delivery oftheir personal baggage. As described more fully below, when a userchooses this option, the user links to a second baggage-delivery Website 310 dedicated to baggage delivery. Typically, Web site 310 ismaintained by a server computer 312 having a database 314. Database 314stores baggage identification information (e.g., baggage claim numbers)in linked relation to a final delivery location specified by thetraveler. Alternatively, users can directly access the baggage deliveryWeb site 310 to make arrangements for the transportation of theirbaggage. After making baggage transportation arrangements, users cancheck the status of their baggage (e.g., delivered or not delivered) byaccessing Web site 310 via conventional computer 302, conventionaltelephone 304, or wireless device 306, as described below.

Typical operation of the present system and method is further describedin connection with FIG. 4. As shown in FIG. 4, in step 402, the travelernavigates to a travel Web site 308, such as the Web site of an airline.An example of a home Web page 502 of a typical airline Web site is shownin FIG. 5A. In step 404, prospective travelers may enter their flightcriteria (e.g., travel origin and destination locations and preferredtravel dates) into an HTML form 504 on Web page 502. As shown in FIG.5B, the prospective passenger is then typically provided with a list 506of available flights meeting the specified criteria at a second Web page508. In step 406, the passenger then selects a flight from list 506 and,if a reservation can be made for the passenger's desired flight, the Website then prompts the passenger to enter billing information 510, suchas the passenger's name, address, and credit card number, at another Webpage 512, as shown in FIG. 5C. At a final confirmation Web page 514, anexample of which is shown in FIG. 5D, the passenger confirms the ticketpurchase.

In this preferred embodiment, in step 408, if the traveler wishes tomake arrangements for baggage pick-up and delivery, the travelerindicates this desire in step 410 by clicking an icon 516 on Web page514 (see FIG. 5D) to navigate to baggage-delivery Web site 310 (see FIG.3). In a preferred embodiment, all of the passenger's travel informationis forwarded from Web page 512 to Web site 310 via automatic data relaywhen the passenger clicks icon 516. For example, the server operatingWeb page 512 may directly transmit a passenger's flight information tobaggage-delivery Web site 310 via Electronic Data Interchange (EDI). Thetransmitted data may be specified in eXtensible Markup Language (XML) orother appropriate format.

In step 410, Web site 310 dynamically creates a Web page including thepassenger's travel information and a form to permit the passenger tofill in additional information concerning baggage delivery. An exampleof how such a Web page might look is shown in FIG. 6A. As shown in FIG.6A, Web page 602 is automatically filled in with the traveler's name,address, and flight information 604 using the data relayed from airlineWeb site 308. Web page 602 also includes blank fields 606 to prompt theuser to enter the number of bags, the location from which the baggage isto be picked up, and the location to which it is to be delivered.Typically, the traveler schedules and/or reserves a pickup appointmenttime within a range of acceptable baggage pick-up times. For example, atraveler may wish to have his or her baggage picked-up and processed theevening before an early morning flight.

In step 412, the traveler enters the necessary baggage information andconfirms his or her desire to have baggage picked-up and delivered. FIG.6B is an example of Web page 602 with baggage information 608 filled inby the traveler.

Alternatively or in addition, baggage pickup arrangements may be madewithout requiring traveler access to the Internet. For example, thesystem may be adapted to permit travelers to book baggage pickup anddelivery via a telephone network. Travelers booking flights by telephonevia, e.g., an airline's toll free telephone number, may be asked afterfinalizing their travel arrangements whether they would like to arrangefor baggage pickup and/or delivery. If the traveler responds in theaffirmative, he or she may be forwarded to a baggage-pickup telephoneoperations center.

In step 414, at a time specified by the traveler, the baggage iscollected from the origin location by a GDO and tagged using a portablebaggage tag generating device. Upon generation of the baggage tag,database 314 is updated and the baggage identifier is stored in linkedrelation to the final traveler-specified location.

Alternatively, a passenger who carries his or her bags to the airportand checks them in the traditional fashion can make baggage deliveryarrangements by accessing an airport kiosk terminal and providing thebaggage identifier information (e.g., baggage tag identificationnumbers) and a destination location. This aspect is especially usefulfor the business traveler who may have carried his or her bags to theairport but must proceed directly to a business meeting upon arrival atthe destination airport and does not wish to carry his or her bags tothe meeting. Baggage delivery may also be arranged as part of the usualpre-flight check-in process.

In step 416, after clearing security checks at the off-site screeningfacility or departure terminal, the baggage is transported from theorigin airport to the destination airport. In a preferred embodiment,checked baggage is matched with the passenger upon boarding to ensure100% positive passenger-baggage matching. If a GDO is delayed intransporting baggage to an airport and the scheduled flight is missed,or if the schedule flight is missed for any other reason such asscreening difficulties or other security issues, arrangements for analternate flight are made. Traveler claims for missing or damaged bagsare preferably handled by personnel associated with the entity thatoperates the baggage pick-up and delivery service. Alternatively, claimsfor missing or damaged bags may be handled by the GDO. In step 418, thebaggage is again collected from the airport by a porter or otherpersonnel associated with the baggage delivery Web site and delivered tothe final traveler-specified location. In the event that any problem isencountered during baggage transport and a traveler's baggage is nottransported, the traveler is preferably immediately contacted both viatelephone and electronic mail, if possible.

The present system and method are further described in connection withFIG. 7. As shown in FIG. 7, when a user accesses the home page of Website 310, he or she is prompted to enter his or her user login andpassword at Web page 3.1. If the user has not already registered as amember of the Web site, he or she is prompted to become a new member atWeb page 3.2.1. The new member area of the Web site includes Web pages3.2.2 describing how the baggage delivery system of the presentinvention operates. After registering as a new member, a user willreceive a login name and password to access the site. After logging in,members are greeted at Web page 3.3.1.1 and provided with any membermessages at Web page 3.3.1.2 regarding current transactions and/orpromotions from the baggage-delivery system. Once within the memberarea, members can make baggage delivery arrangements and/or check theirbaggage delivery and flight status.

If a member decides to make baggage delivery arrangements, the memberenters the appropriate baggage information (e.g., number of bags,pick-up and destination locations) and a transaction record is created.The mileage and corresponding fee for the locations and number of bagsspecified by the member are calculated and submitted to the member forapproval. As shown, this mileage and fee calculation may be performed bya third party (e.g., airline), but it should be understood that thisfunction could easily be performed by the party maintaining Web site310. For example, fees may be automatically generated from internaldatabase rule rates established by the entity that maintains the baggagedelivery Web site.

If the member wishes to proceed with the baggage delivery transaction, aflight-specific baggage manifest is generated and sent to a GDO. Upontagging of baggage by a GDO, or, alternatively, checking of the baggageat the airport by a member traveler, the baggage claim numbers arecaptured in database 314 (see FIG. 3) and matched with the transactionrecord created earlier. If a member wishes to check flight status, athird party feed of flight status information may be queried and theappropriate information is relayed to the member.

As discussed briefly above, at any time during the baggagetransportation process, a passenger may monitor the status of thebaggage delivery process by using a computer or other communicationsdevice, such as a cellular telephone or PDA (e.g., Palm VII.™,Handspring Visor.™, etc.). As shown in FIG. 8, to perform such a statusinquiry, a user will typically access Web site 310 and enter his or herflight confirmation number 802 and/or other baggage identifier code.After appropriate identity authentication (e.g., entry and confirmationof a user password), baggage delivery status 804 (e.g., delivered,delayed, etc.) is displayed to the user. This aspect is also quiteadvantageous to the business traveler, since he or she can silentlyaccess the Web site via a wireless communications device while at abusiness meeting to determine if his or her baggage has beensuccessfully delivered to a hotel or residence.

In some preferred embodiments, service providers and other entities suchas travel agents, conventions, rental car companies and cruise lines maybe provided with an interface to the present system to permit suchentities to offer baggage-related services to their customers.Alternatively or in addition, the Web sites of these entities mayprovide an Internet link to baggage-delivery Web site 310.

While the present invention has been described with reference to thepreferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will recognize thatnumerous variations and modifications may be made without departing fromthe scope of the present invention. Accordingly, it should be clearlyunderstood that the embodiments of the invention described above are notintended as limitations on the scope of the invention, which is definedonly by the following claims.

1. A method for facilitating the transportation of baggage for anairline passenger from an origin location to an origin airport fortransport by the airline carrier chosen by the passenger to adestination airport, the method comprising: (a) checking in bags with aground delivery operator; (b) obtaining passenger identificationinformation; (c) confirming the identity of the passenger; (d)collecting passenger airline flight information; (e) collecting thebaggage from the origin location by said ground delivery operator; (f)marking the baggage with an identifier; (g) transmitting baggageinformation via a communications network and associating said baggageinformation with said airline flight information; (h) securelytransporting the baggage from the origin location to the origin airport;(i) monitoring the location of the baggage during said transportingstep; and (j) providing location information of the baggage via saidcommunications network.
 2. The method of claim 1 wherein said providinglocation information of the baggage further comprises the step ofproviding said location information to the passenger.
 3. The method ofclaim 2 further comprising the further steps of establishing abaggage-delivery website and allowing the passenger to obtain saidlocation information about that passenger's baggage.
 4. The method ofclaim 1 further comprising transporting the baggage to the originairport via a baggage screening facility.
 5. The method of claim 1further comprising the step of periodically updating said locationinformation.
 6. The method of claim 5 further comprising calculating theestimated delivery time to the origin airport.
 7. The method of claim 6further comprising providing the passenger said estimated delivery timeof the baggage.
 8. The method of claim 7 further comprising transmittingsaid location information and said estimated delivery time informationto the passenger.